HAMPDEN SYDNEY, Va. – The sixth-seeded Hampden-Sydney College Men's Basketball Team (16-10) rallied from a 17-point second half deficit to escape with a 79-75 win over #11 Emory & Henry College (5-21) Monday evening in the First Round of the 2015 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament. With the win, the Tigers advance to face the Quakers of Guilford College on Thursday at 8:00 p.m., in the tournament quarterfinals.
The two teams traded baskets back and forth early in the first half before HSC scored 11 straight points to take a 22-14 lead with 9:47 on the clock. The Wasps answered back, finishing the opening 20 minutes on a 31-8 run, hitting eight-of-11 field goal attempts including five three-pointers during the span. Emory & Henry would take a 45-30 lead into the locker room, its largest halftime advantage of the season.
Hampden-Sydney quickly cut the margin to 45-37 with seven straight points to start the second half. Leading 49-41, E&H put up a 13-4 scoring spurt covering 4:31, connecting on three shots from long range to go up 62-47 with 11:10 on the clock. The Tigers began to whittle the deficit down, finishing the contest on a 32-13 run for the 79-75 win. HSC scored 21 points off E&H turnovers and had 22 points in the paint during the second half as it rallied for the win.
Mike Murray led the Tigers with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists while Greg Lewis connected on five-of-nine three pointers off the bench, adding three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Leon Hargrove had 10 points and four boards while Mitch Owens and Jake Duncan each contributed eight points. HSC shot 54.7 percent (29-for-53) for the game and connected on 10 three-pointers in addition to holding a 28-19 rebounding advantage.
Emory & Henry junior guard Kevin Anzenberger (Concord, N.C.) scored 21 points, hitting five-of-seven three-point attempts and going six-for-six at the charity stripe, adding a team-high five assists. Sophomore guard Myles Turner (Richmond, Va.) had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists while sophomore guard Ryan Gravley (Austinville, Va.) had 12 points and four boards in the contest. Freshman forward Chase Branscomb (Bristol, Tenn.) had eight points off the bench as well for the Wasps.
As a team, E&H shot 54.8 percent (23-for-42) from the field and connected on 13-of-21 (61.9%) of its three-point attempts. The Wasps were also 80 percent (16-for-20) from the free throw line, but second-half turnovers and struggles on the offensive glass proved to be costly.
Emory & Henry will now await the announcement of the All-ODAC Teams which will be released as a part of the annual ODAC Tournament Banquet on Wednesday evening.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15